SBU drones hit Krasnodar Krai seaport, Orenburg gas plant, source says
Editor's note: This story was updated with a comment from a source at the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
Drones from the "Alpha" Special Operations Center of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) struck the Temryuk Seaport in Krasnodar Krai and a gas processing plant in Orenburg Oblast overnight on Dec. 25, an agency source confirmed to the Kyiv Independent.
Russia's Defense Ministry said 141 drones attacked Russia overnight on Dec. 25 and that seven were intercepted over Krasnodar Krai.
The drone attack sparked fires in two oil storage tanks overnight on Dec. 25, the regional emergency headquarters said, a development later confirmed to the Kyiv Independent by the source.
The port fire spread across 2,000 square meters, with 70 personnel involved in extinguishing it, the regional emergency headquarters said.
No casualties were reported among port staff or other personnel.
The Temryuk port is a key Russian facility in the Sea of Azov, operating an oil export terminal and a large liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) facility.
Another Ukrainian drone strike targeted the Orenburg gas processing plant, the world's largest gas chemical complex, which processes 37.5 billion cubic meters of gas annually, the source told the Kyiv Independent.
Fires broke out at the facility following the attack, according to FIRMS, an international satellite fire monitoring service.
The strike also triggered a gas fire in the pipeline of the 3U-70 unit, which purifies raw gas from hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide. As a result, the plant's operations were partially suspended, the source added.
Although Russia's Orenburg Oblast lies roughly 800 kilometers (about 500 miles) from the Ukrainian border, its industrial infrastructure, vital to the Russian military and economy, is regularly targeted by Ukrainian long-range drones.
Krasnodar Krai, which borders Russian-occupied Crimea and is located along the Azov and Black Seas, has been a frequent target of Ukrainian attacks due to its role in supplying Russian forces as well.
On Dec. 22, Ukrainian drones struck the Tamanneftegaz oil terminal in the village of Volna, located in Krasnodar Krai's Temryuk District.
The attack damaged a pipeline, two berths, and two ships, with the resulting fire spreading over an area of more than 1,000 square meters, according to the General Staff.
The incident came just two weeks after a Ukrainian drone strike on Krasnodar Krai's Temryuk port sparked a massive three-day fire at a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, underscoring a continuing pattern of attacks on the region's energy infrastructure.
